Going local + Brazil | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/series/goinglocal+brazil
Indexen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015Sun, 02 Aug 2015 23:34:36 GMT2015-08-02T23:34:36Zen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015The Guardianhttp://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.pnghttp://www.theguardian.com
Going local in Salvador, Brazilhttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jun/21/brazil.salvador
<p>There's a direct correlation between the shortening queue of Brazilians in front of me and my rising sense of panic. I've come to the poor outer district of Retiro to meet Mae (Mother) Stella, a revered leader of the region's Afro-Brazilian religion, Candombl&eacute;. She's a gentle-looking 84-year-old, but she is held in such high esteem in the Il&eacute; Ax&eacute; Op&ocirc; Afonj&aacute; compound that I am terrified of making a faux pas. Or I should say another faux pas: I've already made one by arriving in trousers, causing someone to run to fetch me a billowing African skirt.</p><p>I'm here on the advice of a local psychologist called Lucia, whom I met through <a href="http://www.hospitalityclub.org">hospitalityclub.org</a>. Although she can't join me, she recommended the centre as offering a genuine, non-tourist-driven ceremony, which she has attended many times, &quot;out of curiosity, and because it feels good&quot;. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jun/21/brazil.salvador">Continue reading...</a>BrazilSocial networkingTravelTravel websitesTechnologyFri, 20 Jun 2008 23:01:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jun/21/brazil.salvadorDavid Turnley/GettyStreet spirit...Salvador in party mood. Photograph: Getty/David TurnleyDavid Turnley/GettyStreet spirit...Salvador in party mood. Photograph: Getty/David TurnleyVicky Baker2008-06-20T23:01:00ZGoing local in north-east Brazilhttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jun/14/brazil.travelwebsites
Vicky Baker is travelling around Central and South America guided by the local people she meets on social networking websites. This week, she is in north-east Brazil<p>Forging friendships, establishing cultural exchanges, promoting world peace ... Most hospitality websites insist they offer more than just a free place to stay. All, that is, but the unashamedly named <a href="http://www.globalfreeloaders.com">globalfreeloaders.com</a>. </p><p>Globalfreeloaders doesn't have the community feel of rival sites, or the same level of membership (just 46,000 to couchsurfing's 570,000). The website's design has also held it back, with member profiles consisting of just a paragraph of text and no pictures. Unless it undergoes a dramatic overhaul, it may go the same way as sites such as the now defunct Travelhoo and Tripup. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jun/14/brazil.travelwebsites">Continue reading...</a>BrazilTravel websitesSocial networkingTravelFri, 13 Jun 2008 23:01:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jun/14/brazil.travelwebsitesAlamySitting pretty ... sunset at Jericoacoara. Photograph: AlamyAlamyJericoacoara beach, Brazil. Photograph: AlamyVicky Baker2008-06-13T23:01:00ZGoing local in Belém, Brazilhttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jun/07/brazil.travelwebsites
Vicky Baker is travelling around Central and South America guided by the local people she meets on social networking websites. This week, she is in Belém, Brazil<p>'This is a strange request,&quot; I write in an email to Oriana, a 23-year-old Brazilian student based in Edinburgh, &quot;but I'd really like to meet your mum.&quot;</p><p>I'd been looking through <a href="http://www.couchsurfing.com">couchsurfing.com</a>'s database of members in Bel&eacute;m, the Brazilian city at the mouth of the Amazon. Out of 49 local members willing to let a traveller stay in their home for free, one newcomer to the site caught my eye: Lucinea, Oriana's mother. &quot;My daughter is a very active member,&quot; says her profile. &quot;She's the one who told me about it.&quot; </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jun/07/brazil.travelwebsites">Continue reading...</a>BrazilTravelTravel websitesSocial networkingTravelling soloFri, 06 Jun 2008 23:01:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jun/07/brazil.travelwebsitesAlamyFish and ships ... Belem is at the north of the Amazon. Photograph: AlamyAlamyBelem is at the north of the Amazon, Brazil. Photograph: AlamyVicky Baker2008-06-06T23:01:00Z